PDP Communiqué is produced by the
Professional Development Program,
Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public
Affairs and Policy, University at Albany,
State University of New York
Continued from page 1
As companies have come to regard the investment in
human capital as extremely important to yielding high
returns for the business, the need to have a proactive
rather than a reactive workforce has emerged. Employees
who have learned to learn and to initiate proactive
change in work processes have come to be highly valued.
These employees require a more demanding educational
approach that focuses on developing foresight, a higher
level of critical thinking, and the ability to perform
complex, ever-changing tasks.
Not only is success in the workplace increasingly
dependent upon the ability of employees to learn and be
proactive but success is also dependent upon productive
interaction between co-workers. The growing importance
of interactive skills, such as effective communication and
collaboration over distances, has made the ability to work
well with others imperative. Companies need to develop
this skill in their employees when they don’t already come
equipped to take on this higher order performance.
Therefore, the need to train workers for a range of behavior
modifications that reflect greater self-awareness, selfmonitoring, self-control, and self-motivation has become
essential. To effectively learn and apply these interpersonal
skills is paramount for success in today’s workplace. In this
weightier role, training takes on a whole new approach
that calls for a higher degree of leadership and creativity by
educational providers as they meet these new needs.
The long-established role of training that turns policy into
practice has been reversed. Training practices now lead to
practice and policy change across companies, as in the case
of Disney University in Florida or Toyota University in Los
Angeles. These corporate universities introduce—through
training—the policy and practice changes they expect to see
in the field. Employees who attend these programs become
the change agents of tomorrow.
PDP is another example of an organization that is meeting
this new expectation. Like other progressive educational
institutions, PDP has become partners with its public
organization clients and offers diverse workshops through
its Public Service Workshops Program in a number of
areas that have led practice if not actual policy change
within the public sector organization. Examples include
courses such as Obesity: Treatment across the Disciplines,
Derivative Transactions, and Medications in Addictions
5
Treatment. Each of these
courses had an impact
on policy change in their
respective fields, and those
who attended training
were provided with the
requisite knowledge and
skills they needed to effect
Eugene J. Monaco
such change. Also, PDP
began offering bullying
intervention and prevention
training, long before this
became a national discussion,
and the impact of this training has directly led to state and
local child welfare staff establishing a number of policies
to protect youth from bullying.
The way in which training now has been afforded the
right to influence policy and practice in both the corporate
and public arenas is a significant paradigm shift to which
employees, employers, and our institutions of higher
education will need to address and respond. PDP
Eugene J. Monaco
Executive Director and
Public Service Professor
MARK SCHMIDT
of work tasks. Training was mainly reactionary—resulting
from changes in work processes cascaded down from
decisions made by management.
Professional Development Program
Rockefeller College
University Administration Building
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12222
p (518) 956-7800; f (518) 956-7865
www.pdp.albany.edu
Deanna Cooper
Editor
The Changed Role of Training
James Bonville, Mary Ellen Cox,
Joan Meyer
Associate Editors
Eugene J. Monaco, Executive Director and Public Service
Professor, Professional Development Program
Ed Kirchgessner, Mark Schmidt
Photographers
As the American workplace has evolved over the past twenty years into a place
where employees both perform and learn in order to accomplish current work,
as well as the work of tomorrow, companies have transformed into learning
organizations. This change has affected both the processes and the culture of the
workplace, and is now affecting the role that training and development plays.
Catherine Reynolds
Graphic Designer
No material may be reproduced
in whole or in part from this publication
without permission.
©2012
While in the past, employees went to their jobs and performed their tasks as
directed, they now select from a menu of information and resource options as they
exchange ideas and best practices in efforts to innovate toward greater efficiencies
and outcomes. Companies no longer solely identify and direct the work tasks to
be accomplished, but rather require their employees to constantly acquire new
skills and knowledge in order to identify gaps, propose solutions, and make
decisions about how best to accomplish the solutions. Employees and employers
find themselves in different roles as companies have discovered that not only did
workplace practices and hierarchies need to change, but so too has the role that
training and development plays in the workplace.
PDP
News and Views
News and Views
Continued from page 5
Continued from page 3
PDP Annual Report
PDP’s Annual Report, which was recently submitted
to the University’s Office for Research, highlights
many of its outstanding accomplishments during the
past year. PDP has continued to focus on its core
mission of providing continuing professional education
programs and trainings, primarily for the public service
workforce in New York State. These programs have been
highly effective in assisting numerous state and local
government workers increase their job proficiencies.
Overall, PDP received 34 contract and grant awards
totaling over $39 million to conduct this work during
FY 2011-2012. PDP staff successfully offered over
3,400 instructional activities enrolling over 68,000
employees in its various programs. The majority of these
educational offerings were conducted for employees at
the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, the
NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance,
the NYS Department of Health, the Governor’s Office
of Employee Relations, and local government agencies
throughout New York State. The program areas that had
Continued on page 6
the highest enrollments were Child Care Provider Training,
Child Welfare Training, and Computer Skills Training.
PDP’s future sustainability remains strong, and it will
continue to concentrate its efforts on providing high
performance programs for the public service. We foresee an
increased interest in e-Learning, web-based programs, and
mobile technology as ways to be more innovative in meeting
the needs of today’s changing workforce. As a consequence,
we are positioning ourselves to be prepared to respond to
this changed demand for learning, while remaining true to
our core values. The complete report can be found at http://
reports.pdp.albany.edu/ PDP
Mary McCarthy Receives PDP’s
Distinguished Continuing
Professional Education Award
A Newsletter from the
Professional
Development Program,
Rockefeller College
Given annually by PDP, this award of excellence recognizes
exemplary leadership and noteworthy contributions to the field
of continuing professional education for the public workforce.
Mary has established a well-deserved reputation for her
commitment to excellence in education and training for the
public service, and as an educator who has made a difference
at the crossroads of government and higher education.
Mary’s good work has been well acknowledged. In
2010, Mary received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for
Excellence in Professional Service and the University at
Albany, President’s Award for Excellence in Professional
Service and she receives another well-deserved recognition
for her commendable accomplishments and tireless efforts
to connect policy with practice as the 2012 recipient of the
Distinguished Continuing Professional Education Award
of Excellence. PDP
As this transformation occurred, companies increasingly came to blend their
own in-house training with a variety of educational provider solutions to assist
with professional development and training of employees at all levels. Many
colleges and universities have responded and have, consequently, re-focused
and expanded their missions to provide programs for mature adults as well as to
continue their traditional undergraduate and graduate academic curricula. Many
have innovated to create separate departments that tailor the curriculum as well
as to develop new programs that meet the unique educational requirements of
business and industry. Others have led in undertaking needs assessments and
conducting environmental scanning in order to identify new workplace trends
and accompanying training needs that in turn inform the development and
design of the curriculum modifications for the adult working populations.
The logical next step in this evolution is being witnessed today—the
phenomenon of training actually leading change in the workplace rather than
merely reacting to the changes. This is a fundamental paradigm shift from
the traditional role of training. In the past, much of training was geared to
developing specific skills that would be directly applied to the accomplishment
MARK SCHMIDT
The Changed Role of Training
Continued on page 5
Mary McCarthy from the School of Social Welfare was
presented the 2012 Distinguished Continuing Professional
Education Award of Excellence by Executive Director
Eugene Monaco at the May 18th Rockefeller College Awards
Ceremony held at the Federal Court House in Albany.
Promoting Innovation in Public Employee
Training Programs..........................................................Pg. 2
News and Views ...............................................................Pg. 3
Executive Director Eugene Monaco presents
Mary McCarthy the 2012 Distinguished
Continuing Professional Education Award of
Excellence (See News and Views)
VOLUME 29, FALL 2012
6
Did you know?
•
Many New York State employees must audit or otherwise
oversee organizations with numerous derivative transactions.
•
Nassau County on Long Island has used approximately $600
million in London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR) related
debt swap agreements since 2004.
•
The City of New York has $2.58 billion of interest rate swap
arrangements as of June 30, 2011, and the City of New York
Water Authority had $621 million in debt swap transactions.
•
The City of Buffalo Water Authority has $61.5 million in bonds
hedged by a derivative transaction at year end 2011.
•
Consolidated Edison, Inc., which provides electric and
natural gas services in several counties in New York State,
had hundreds of millions of dollars in energy price, credit,
and economic hedges at year end 2011.
•
•
AIG, the international insurance firm with headquarters in
New York City, uses a complex array of derivatives valued at
hundreds of millions of dollars to manage its assets.
News and Views
Usability Testing: A Key Component in e-Learning Design
World Conference on e-Learning in Corporate, Government,
Healthcare, and Higher Education
Peter Kircher Receives 2011
Executive Director’s Award
Peter Kircher was recognized by receiving the 2011
Executive Director’s Award as well as recognition for
30 years of service to PDP. Peter is known for outstanding
training deliveries of diverse training programs, providing
excellent coaching and mentoring to new trainers, and for
his subject matter expertise.
Dr. Kevin M. Bronner
Public Service Professor
Dept. of Public Administration & Policy, UAlbany
[email protected]
The Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) is
committed to developing innovative and timely training
programs for public sector employees. Many of the program’s
offerings are based upon the use of environmental scanning
in order to determine key areas in which training is required
and which then lead to the development of state-of-theart training workshops. During 2006 and 2007, PSWP
conducted a series of trend analyses to identify the types of
training required by public sector employees. These studies
informed several recommendations which then led to the
delivery of many innovative workshops.
An innovative workshop was created entitled Derivative
Transactions, and was delivered to provide this important
information to NYS accountants and auditors. A derivative is
a financial transaction such as an interest rate swap that has
been structured from other transactions. There is often a high
level of complexity surrounding these transactions and the
related accounting they involve.
2
The need for continuing
training and education
Dr. Kevin M. Bronner
in this complex area of
derivatives is highlighted
by the events that occurred
in recent years. From
late 2007 until June 2009 the United States experienced a
severe recession and an accompanying financial crisis. The
financial crisis was particularly severe with the collapse of a
number of financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers
and AIG. Complex derivative transactions were one of the
factors that led to this financial crisis.
Since many public sector employees have duties which
require them to audit or oversee derivative transactions, there
are still many questions facing public sector employees in the
areas of derivatives. For example, there is currently a problem
with derivative-based interest rate swaps that are linked to
the London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR). Another
example involves auditors and managers from the Office of
the New York State Comptroller whose duties include the
overseeing of local governments in New York State. Nassau
County recently announced that it may have suffered a $13
million loss related to $600 million in interest rate derivatives
it has on its books.
Derivatives are used by industries such as public utilities,
banks, and insurance companies that are regulated by
public sector agencies. The employees of these regulatory
agencies are required to oversee derivative transactions such
as energy fuel hedges or insurance and banking related
Windows 7 and Office 2010 New Features
2011 Social Services District LAN Administrator’s
Conference
Reports Used to Monitor Performance
New York Public Welfare Association 143rd Annual
Seminar Training: A Year in Perspective
Continuing Education Association of New York Annual
Conference (CEANY)
Integrating Leadership and Coaching Skills into Policy Training
National Staff Development And Training Association
& NSDTA Professional Development Institute Annual
Conference
Peter is deeply committed to PDP’s mission and core
values and beliefs. He exemplifies this in his work and
his strong professionalism. Peter is a true asset to the
Professional Development Program. PDP
Leadership Style and Facilitating Change
Continuing Education Association of New York Annual
Conference (CEANY)
The New York Power Authority, a public agency, uses millions
of dollars in complex derivative transactions in numerous
areas such as interest rate swaps and energy hedges.
Instructional Techniques for a Multigenerational Workforce
Continuing Education Association of New York Annual
Conference (CEANY)
Promoting Innovation in Public Employee Training Programs
Promoting Innovation
in Public Employee
Training Programs
e-Learning for Partner Services
World Conference on e-Learning in Corporate, Government,
Healthcare, and Higher Education
Improving e-Learning Course Design with Usability Testing
International Conference on the Future of Education
Continued from page 2
transactions. Additionally, the legislative function must
be aware of derivative transactions as they consider
new legislation. For instance, new federal legislation
such as the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform
and Consumer Protection Act has new constraints
on derivative transactions that must be understood by
state governments. It is most likely that new regulatory
programs will be implemented in the near future to help
mitigate the risk associated with derivative transactions.
In light of these instances, it is imperative that the state
work force be as educated as possible on this complex area
of transactions.
The determination in 2007 that training for derivatives
was needed for public sector employees is a good example
of how PSWP trainings can keep public sector employees
up-to-date on very specific training needs, and how the
training can have a real impact on agency policy and
process. PSWP workshops on derivative training are
key in that employees can take advantage of learning
more, as they exercise their everyday duties. The field of
derivatives is a dynamic one and moving forward, changes
to financial products developed will be closely monitored
by public sector employees. Training on derivative
transactions is a good example of training that directly
relates to the enhancement of informed, educated workers
who understand and can regulate within their agencies,
effectively and accurately. PDP
Supporting & Strengthening Child Welfare Managers’
Leadership Skills, Competencies & Change Initiatives—
an Introduction
PDP Regional Office Project Associate staff meeting
Implementing the Child Care Time and Attendance System
and Improving Program Integrity
New York Public Welfare Association 2012 Winter
Conference
Peter Kircher
News and Views continued on page 5
Relationships with Families
NYSAEYC (New York State Association for the
Education of Young Children) Conference
The mission
n of the Professional
Development Program is to make a
difference in a changing world by linking the
learning, applied research, and evaluation
resources of the University with the
continuing professional education needs of
the public service. One of the ways this is
accomplished is through contributions to
Check out the
The PDP Communiqué in Brief is an electronic publication
found on the PDP website (www.pdp.albany.edu) providing
timely and critical information, best practices, and valuable
insights about the education and training fields, as well as
relevant developments in the larger academic and public
service environments. Articles are written by practitioners
and scholars from diverse settings. The PDP Communiqué
in Brief informs and sustains inquiry and conversation
related to individual and organizational performance in our
rapidly changing world. PDP
3
Bringing Books to Life through Art
FCCANYS (Family Child Care Association of NY State)
Conference
conferences for professional associations. In
Adverse Childhood Experiences
New York State Association for the Education of Young
Children Annual Conference (NYSAEYC)
over a dozen different conferences helping
Supporting & Strengthening Child Welfare Managers’
Leadership Skills, Competencies & Change Initiatives
New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children Annual
Conference
Child Care Subsidy: A Fraud Investigator’s Primer
New York Welfare Fraud Investigators Association
Annual Training Seminar (NYSWFIA)
the past year alone, PDP staff presented at
to link practice to industry knowledge.
Request an Electronic Version
In an effort to support the University at Albany’s mission
to “go green,” the Communiqué is now available via email.
Individuals who would prefer to receive this publication in an
electronic format can email: [email protected]
4
Did you know?
•
Many New York State employees must audit or otherwise
oversee organizations with numerous derivative transactions.
•
Nassau County on Long Island has used approximately $600
million in London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR) related
debt swap agreements since 2004.
•
The City of New York has $2.58 billion of interest rate swap
arrangements as of June 30, 2011, and the City of New York
Water Authority had $621 million in debt swap transactions.
•
The City of Buffalo Water Authority has $61.5 million in bonds
hedged by a derivative transaction at year end 2011.
•
Consolidated Edison, Inc., which provides electric and
natural gas services in several counties in New York State,
had hundreds of millions of dollars in energy price, credit,
and economic hedges at year end 2011.
•
•
AIG, the international insurance firm with headquarters in
New York City, uses a complex array of derivatives valued at
hundreds of millions of dollars to manage its assets.
News and Views
Usability Testing: A Key Component in e-Learning Design
World Conference on e-Learning in Corporate, Government,
Healthcare, and Higher Education
Peter Kircher Receives 2011
Executive Director’s Award
Peter Kircher was recognized by receiving the 2011
Executive Director’s Award as well as recognition for
30 years of service to PDP. Peter is known for outstanding
training deliveries of diverse training programs, providing
excellent coaching and mentoring to new trainers, and for
his subject matter expertise.
Dr. Kevin M. Bronner
Public Service Professor
Dept. of Public Administration & Policy, UAlbany
[email protected]
The Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) is
committed to developing innovative and timely training
programs for public sector employees. Many of the program’s
offerings are based upon the use of environmental scanning
in order to determine key areas in which training is required
and which then lead to the development of state-of-theart training workshops. During 2006 and 2007, PSWP
conducted a series of trend analyses to identify the types of
training required by public sector employees. These studies
informed several recommendations which then led to the
delivery of many innovative workshops.
An innovative workshop was created entitled Derivative
Transactions, and was delivered to provide this important
information to NYS accountants and auditors. A derivative is
a financial transaction such as an interest rate swap that has
been structured from other transactions. There is often a high
level of complexity surrounding these transactions and the
related accounting they involve.
2
The need for continuing
training and education
Dr. Kevin M. Bronner
in this complex area of
derivatives is highlighted
by the events that occurred
in recent years. From
late 2007 until June 2009 the United States experienced a
severe recession and an accompanying financial crisis. The
financial crisis was particularly severe with the collapse of a
number of financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers
and AIG. Complex derivative transactions were one of the
factors that led to this financial crisis.
Since many public sector employees have duties which
require them to audit or oversee derivative transactions, there
are still many questions facing public sector employees in the
areas of derivatives. For example, there is currently a problem
with derivative-based interest rate swaps that are linked to
the London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR). Another
example involves auditors and managers from the Office of
the New York State Comptroller whose duties include the
overseeing of local governments in New York State. Nassau
County recently announced that it may have suffered a $13
million loss related to $600 million in interest rate derivatives
it has on its books.
Derivatives are used by industries such as public utilities,
banks, and insurance companies that are regulated by
public sector agencies. The employees of these regulatory
agencies are required to oversee derivative transactions such
as energy fuel hedges or insurance and banking related
Windows 7 and Office 2010 New Features
2011 Social Services District LAN Administrator’s
Conference
Reports Used to Monitor Performance
New York Public Welfare Association 143rd Annual
Seminar Training: A Year in Perspective
Continuing Education Association of New York Annual
Conference (CEANY)
Integrating Leadership and Coaching Skills into Policy Training
National Staff Development And Training Association
& NSDTA Professional Development Institute Annual
Conference
Peter is deeply committed to PDP’s mission and core
values and beliefs. He exemplifies this in his work and
his strong professionalism. Peter is a true asset to the
Professional Development Program. PDP
Leadership Style and Facilitating Change
Continuing Education Association of New York Annual
Conference (CEANY)
The New York Power Authority, a public agency, uses millions
of dollars in complex derivative transactions in numerous
areas such as interest rate swaps and energy hedges.
Instructional Techniques for a Multigenerational Workforce
Continuing Education Association of New York Annual
Conference (CEANY)
Promoting Innovation in Public Employee Training Programs
Promoting Innovation
in Public Employee
Training Programs
e-Learning for Partner Services
World Conference on e-Learning in Corporate, Government,
Healthcare, and Higher Education
Improving e-Learning Course Design with Usability Testing
International Conference on the Future of Education
Continued from page 2
transactions. Additionally, the legislative function must
be aware of derivative transactions as they consider
new legislation. For instance, new federal legislation
such as the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform
and Consumer Protection Act has new constraints
on derivative transactions that must be understood by
state governments. It is most likely that new regulatory
programs will be implemented in the near future to help
mitigate the risk associated with derivative transactions.
In light of these instances, it is imperative that the state
work force be as educated as possible on this complex area
of transactions.
The determination in 2007 that training for derivatives
was needed for public sector employees is a good example
of how PSWP trainings can keep public sector employees
up-to-date on very specific training needs, and how the
training can have a real impact on agency policy and
process. PSWP workshops on derivative training are
key in that employees can take advantage of learning
more, as they exercise their everyday duties. The field of
derivatives is a dynamic one and moving forward, changes
to financial products developed will be closely monitored
by public sector employees. Training on derivative
transactions is a good example of training that directly
relates to the enhancement of informed, educated workers
who understand and can regulate within their agencies,
effectively and accurately. PDP
Supporting & Strengthening Child Welfare Managers’
Leadership Skills, Competencies & Change Initiatives—
an Introduction
PDP Regional Office Project Associate staff meeting
Implementing the Child Care Time and Attendance System
and Improving Program Integrity
New York Public Welfare Association 2012 Winter
Conference
Peter Kircher
News and Views continued on page 5
Relationships with Families
NYSAEYC (New York State Association for the
Education of Young Children) Conference
The mission
n of the Professional
Development Program is to make a
difference in a changing world by linking the
learning, applied research, and evaluation
resources of the University with the
continuing professional education needs of
the public service. One of the ways this is
accomplished is through contributions to
Check out the
The PDP Communiqué in Brief is an electronic publication
found on the PDP website (www.pdp.albany.edu) providing
timely and critical information, best practices, and valuable
insights about the education and training fields, as well as
relevant developments in the larger academic and public
service environments. Articles are written by practitioners
and scholars from diverse settings. The PDP Communiqué
in Brief informs and sustains inquiry and conversation
related to individual and organizational performance in our
rapidly changing world. PDP
3
Bringing Books to Life through Art
FCCANYS (Family Child Care Association of NY State)
Conference
conferences for professional associations. In
Adverse Childhood Experiences
New York State Association for the Education of Young
Children Annual Conference (NYSAEYC)
over a dozen different conferences helping
Supporting & Strengthening Child Welfare Managers’
Leadership Skills, Competencies & Change Initiatives
New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children Annual
Conference
Child Care Subsidy: A Fraud Investigator’s Primer
New York Welfare Fraud Investigators Association
Annual Training Seminar (NYSWFIA)
the past year alone, PDP staff presented at
to link practice to industry knowledge.
Request an Electronic Version
In an effort to support the University at Albany’s mission
to “go green,” the Communiqué is now available via email.
Individuals who would prefer to receive this publication in an
electronic format can email: [email protected]
4
Did you know?
•
Many New York State employees must audit or otherwise
oversee organizations with numerous derivative transactions.
•
Nassau County on Long Island has used approximately $600
million in London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR) related
debt swap agreements since 2004.
•
The City of New York has $2.58 billion of interest rate swap
arrangements as of June 30, 2011, and the City of New York
Water Authority had $621 million in debt swap transactions.
•
The City of Buffalo Water Authority has $61.5 million in bonds
hedged by a derivative transaction at year end 2011.
•
Consolidated Edison, Inc., which provides electric and
natural gas services in several counties in New York State,
had hundreds of millions of dollars in energy price, credit,
and economic hedges at year end 2011.
•
•
AIG, the international insurance firm with headquarters in
New York City, uses a complex array of derivatives valued at
hundreds of millions of dollars to manage its assets.
News and Views
Usability Testing: A Key Component in e-Learning Design
World Conference on e-Learning in Corporate, Government,
Healthcare, and Higher Education
Peter Kircher Receives 2011
Executive Director’s Award
Peter Kircher was recognized by receiving the 2011
Executive Director’s Award as well as recognition for
30 years of service to PDP. Peter is known for outstanding
training deliveries of diverse training programs, providing
excellent coaching and mentoring to new trainers, and for
his subject matter expertise.
Dr. Kevin M. Bronner
Public Service Professor
Dept. of Public Administration & Policy, UAlbany
[email protected]
The Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) is
committed to developing innovative and timely training
programs for public sector employees. Many of the program’s
offerings are based upon the use of environmental scanning
in order to determine key areas in which training is required
and which then lead to the development of state-of-theart training workshops. During 2006 and 2007, PSWP
conducted a series of trend analyses to identify the types of
training required by public sector employees. These studies
informed several recommendations which then led to the
delivery of many innovative workshops.
An innovative workshop was created entitled Derivative
Transactions, and was delivered to provide this important
information to NYS accountants and auditors. A derivative is
a financial transaction such as an interest rate swap that has
been structured from other transactions. There is often a high
level of complexity surrounding these transactions and the
related accounting they involve.
2
The need for continuing
training and education
Dr. Kevin M. Bronner
in this complex area of
derivatives is highlighted
by the events that occurred
in recent years. From
late 2007 until June 2009 the United States experienced a
severe recession and an accompanying financial crisis. The
financial crisis was particularly severe with the collapse of a
number of financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers
and AIG. Complex derivative transactions were one of the
factors that led to this financial crisis.
Since many public sector employees have duties which
require them to audit or oversee derivative transactions, there
are still many questions facing public sector employees in the
areas of derivatives. For example, there is currently a problem
with derivative-based interest rate swaps that are linked to
the London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR). Another
example involves auditors and managers from the Office of
the New York State Comptroller whose duties include the
overseeing of local governments in New York State. Nassau
County recently announced that it may have suffered a $13
million loss related to $600 million in interest rate derivatives
it has on its books.
Derivatives are used by industries such as public utilities,
banks, and insurance companies that are regulated by
public sector agencies. The employees of these regulatory
agencies are required to oversee derivative transactions such
as energy fuel hedges or insurance and banking related
Windows 7 and Office 2010 New Features
2011 Social Services District LAN Administrator’s
Conference
Reports Used to Monitor Performance
New York Public Welfare Association 143rd Annual
Seminar Training: A Year in Perspective
Continuing Education Association of New York Annual
Conference (CEANY)
Integrating Leadership and Coaching Skills into Policy Training
National Staff Development And Training Association
& NSDTA Professional Development Institute Annual
Conference
Peter is deeply committed to PDP’s mission and core
values and beliefs. He exemplifies this in his work and
his strong professionalism. Peter is a true asset to the
Professional Development Program. PDP
Leadership Style and Facilitating Change
Continuing Education Association of New York Annual
Conference (CEANY)
The New York Power Authority, a public agency, uses millions
of dollars in complex derivative transactions in numerous
areas such as interest rate swaps and energy hedges.
Instructional Techniques for a Multigenerational Workforce
Continuing Education Association of New York Annual
Conference (CEANY)
Promoting Innovation in Public Employee Training Programs
Promoting Innovation
in Public Employee
Training Programs
e-Learning for Partner Services
World Conference on e-Learning in Corporate, Government,
Healthcare, and Higher Education
Improving e-Learning Course Design with Usability Testing
International Conference on the Future of Education
Continued from page 2
transactions. Additionally, the legislative function must
be aware of derivative transactions as they consider
new legislation. For instance, new federal legislation
such as the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform
and Consumer Protection Act has new constraints
on derivative transactions that must be understood by
state governments. It is most likely that new regulatory
programs will be implemented in the near future to help
mitigate the risk associated with derivative transactions.
In light of these instances, it is imperative that the state
work force be as educated as possible on this complex area
of transactions.
The determination in 2007 that training for derivatives
was needed for public sector employees is a good example
of how PSWP trainings can keep public sector employees
up-to-date on very specific training needs, and how the
training can have a real impact on agency policy and
process. PSWP workshops on derivative training are
key in that employees can take advantage of learning
more, as they exercise their everyday duties. The field of
derivatives is a dynamic one and moving forward, changes
to financial products developed will be closely monitored
by public sector employees. Training on derivative
transactions is a good example of training that directly
relates to the enhancement of informed, educated workers
who understand and can regulate within their agencies,
effectively and accurately. PDP
Supporting & Strengthening Child Welfare Managers’
Leadership Skills, Competencies & Change Initiatives—
an Introduction
PDP Regional Office Project Associate staff meeting
Implementing the Child Care Time and Attendance System
and Improving Program Integrity
New York Public Welfare Association 2012 Winter
Conference
Peter Kircher
News and Views continued on page 5
Relationships with Families
NYSAEYC (New York State Association for the
Education of Young Children) Conference
The mission
n of the Professional
Development Program is to make a
difference in a changing world by linking the
learning, applied research, and evaluation
resources of the University with the
continuing professional education needs of
the public service. One of the ways this is
accomplished is through contributions to
Check out the
The PDP Communiqué in Brief is an electronic publication
found on the PDP website (www.pdp.albany.edu) providing
timely and critical information, best practices, and valuable
insights about the education and training fields, as well as
relevant developments in the larger academic and public
service environments. Articles are written by practitioners
and scholars from diverse settings. The PDP Communiqué
in Brief informs and sustains inquiry and conversation
related to individual and organizational performance in our
rapidly changing world. PDP
3
Bringing Books to Life through Art
FCCANYS (Family Child Care Association of NY State)
Conference
conferences for professional associations. In
Adverse Childhood Experiences
New York State Association for the Education of Young
Children Annual Conference (NYSAEYC)
over a dozen different conferences helping
Supporting & Strengthening Child Welfare Managers’
Leadership Skills, Competencies & Change Initiatives
New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children Annual
Conference
Child Care Subsidy: A Fraud Investigator’s Primer
New York Welfare Fraud Investigators Association
Annual Training Seminar (NYSWFIA)
the past year alone, PDP staff presented at
to link practice to industry knowledge.
Request an Electronic Version
In an effort to support the University at Albany’s mission
to “go green,” the Communiqué is now available via email.
Individuals who would prefer to receive this publication in an
electronic format can email: [email protected]
4
PDP Communiqué is produced by the
Professional Development Program,
Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public
Affairs and Policy, University at Albany,
State University of New York
Continued from page 1
As companies have come to regard the investment in
human capital as extremely important to yielding high
returns for the business, the need to have a proactive
rather than a reactive workforce has emerged. Employees
who have learned to learn and to initiate proactive
change in work processes have come to be highly valued.
These employees require a more demanding educational
approach that focuses on developing foresight, a higher
level of critical thinking, and the ability to perform
complex, ever-changing tasks.
Not only is success in the workplace increasingly
dependent upon the ability of employees to learn and be
proactive but success is also dependent upon productive
interaction between co-workers. The growing importance
of interactive skills, such as effective communication and
collaboration over distances, has made the ability to work
well with others imperative. Companies need to develop
this skill in their employees when they don’t already come
equipped to take on this higher order performance.
Therefore, the need to train workers for a range of behavior
modifications that reflect greater self-awareness, selfmonitoring, self-control, and self-motivation has become
essential. To effectively learn and apply these interpersonal
skills is paramount for success in today’s workplace. In this
weightier role, training takes on a whole new approach
that calls for a higher degree of leadership and creativity by
educational providers as they meet these new needs.
The long-established role of training that turns policy into
practice has been reversed. Training practices now lead to
practice and policy change across companies, as in the case
of Disney University in Florida or Toyota University in Los
Angeles. These corporate universities introduce—through
training—the policy and practice changes they expect to see
in the field. Employees who attend these programs become
the change agents of tomorrow.
PDP is another example of an organization that is meeting
this new expectation. Like other progressive educational
institutions, PDP has become partners with its public
organization clients and offers diverse workshops through
its Public Service Workshops Program in a number of
areas that have led practice if not actual policy change
within the public sector organization. Examples include
courses such as Obesity: Treatment across the Disciplines,
Derivative Transactions, and Medications in Addictions
5
Treatment. Each of these
courses had an impact
on policy change in their
respective fields, and those
who attended training
were provided with the
requisite knowledge and
skills they needed to effect
Eugene J. Monaco
such change. Also, PDP
began offering bullying
intervention and prevention
training, long before this
became a national discussion,
and the impact of this training has directly led to state and
local child welfare staff establishing a number of policies
to protect youth from bullying.
The way in which training now has been afforded the
right to influence policy and practice in both the corporate
and public arenas is a significant paradigm shift to which
employees, employers, and our institutions of higher
education will need to address and respond. PDP
Eugene J. Monaco
Executive Director and
Public Service Professor
MARK SCHMIDT
of work tasks. Training was mainly reactionary—resulting
from changes in work processes cascaded down from
decisions made by management.
Professional Development Program
Rockefeller College
University Administration Building
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12222
p (518) 956-7800; f (518) 956-7865
www.pdp.albany.edu
Deanna Cooper
Editor
The Changed Role of Training
James Bonville, Mary Ellen Cox,
Joan Meyer
Associate Editors
Eugene J. Monaco, Executive Director and Public Service
Professor, Professional Development Program
Ed Kirchgessner, Mark Schmidt
Photographers
As the American workplace has evolved over the past twenty years into a place
where employees both perform and learn in order to accomplish current work,
as well as the work of tomorrow, companies have transformed into learning
organizations. This change has affected both the processes and the culture of the
workplace, and is now affecting the role that training and development plays.
Catherine Reynolds
Graphic Designer
No material may be reproduced
in whole or in part from this publication
without permission.
©2012
While in the past, employees went to their jobs and performed their tasks as
directed, they now select from a menu of information and resource options as they
exchange ideas and best practices in efforts to innovate toward greater efficiencies
and outcomes. Companies no longer solely identify and direct the work tasks to
be accomplished, but rather require their employees to constantly acquire new
skills and knowledge in order to identify gaps, propose solutions, and make
decisions about how best to accomplish the solutions. Employees and employers
find themselves in different roles as companies have discovered that not only did
workplace practices and hierarchies need to change, but so too has the role that
training and development plays in the workplace.
PDP
News and Views
News and Views
Continued from page 5
Continued from page 3
PDP Annual Report
PDP’s Annual Report, which was recently submitted
to the University’s Office for Research, highlights
many of its outstanding accomplishments during the
past year. PDP has continued to focus on its core
mission of providing continuing professional education
programs and trainings, primarily for the public service
workforce in New York State. These programs have been
highly effective in assisting numerous state and local
government workers increase their job proficiencies.
Overall, PDP received 34 contract and grant awards
totaling over $39 million to conduct this work during
FY 2011-2012. PDP staff successfully offered over
3,400 instructional activities enrolling over 68,000
employees in its various programs. The majority of these
educational offerings were conducted for employees at
the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, the
NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance,
the NYS Department of Health, the Governor’s Office
of Employee Relations, and local government agencies
throughout New York State. The program areas that had
Continued on page 6
the highest enrollments were Child Care Provider Training,
Child Welfare Training, and Computer Skills Training.
PDP’s future sustainability remains strong, and it will
continue to concentrate its efforts on providing high
performance programs for the public service. We foresee an
increased interest in e-Learning, web-based programs, and
mobile technology as ways to be more innovative in meeting
the needs of today’s changing workforce. As a consequence,
we are positioning ourselves to be prepared to respond to
this changed demand for learning, while remaining true to
our core values. The complete report can be found at http://
reports.pdp.albany.edu/ PDP
Mary McCarthy Receives PDP’s
Distinguished Continuing
Professional Education Award
A Newsletter from the
Professional
Development Program,
Rockefeller College
Given annually by PDP, this award of excellence recognizes
exemplary leadership and noteworthy contributions to the field
of continuing professional education for the public workforce.
Mary has established a well-deserved reputation for her
commitment to excellence in education and training for the
public service, and as an educator who has made a difference
at the crossroads of government and higher education.
Mary’s good work has been well acknowledged. In
2010, Mary received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for
Excellence in Professional Service and the University at
Albany, President’s Award for Excellence in Professional
Service and she receives another well-deserved recognition
for her commendable accomplishments and tireless efforts
to connect policy with practice as the 2012 recipient of the
Distinguished Continuing Professional Education Award
of Excellence. PDP
As this transformation occurred, companies increasingly came to blend their
own in-house training with a variety of educational provider solutions to assist
with professional development and training of employees at all levels. Many
colleges and universities have responded and have, consequently, re-focused
and expanded their missions to provide programs for mature adults as well as to
continue their traditional undergraduate and graduate academic curricula. Many
have innovated to create separate departments that tailor the curriculum as well
as to develop new programs that meet the unique educational requirements of
business and industry. Others have led in undertaking needs assessments and
conducting environmental scanning in order to identify new workplace trends
and accompanying training needs that in turn inform the development and
design of the curriculum modifications for the adult working populations.
The logical next step in this evolution is being witnessed today—the
phenomenon of training actually leading change in the workplace rather than
merely reacting to the changes. This is a fundamental paradigm shift from
the traditional role of training. In the past, much of training was geared to
developing specific skills that would be directly applied to the accomplishment
MARK SCHMIDT
The Changed Role of Training
Continued on page 5
Mary McCarthy from the School of Social Welfare was
presented the 2012 Distinguished Continuing Professional
Education Award of Excellence by Executive Director
Eugene Monaco at the May 18th Rockefeller College Awards
Ceremony held at the Federal Court House in Albany.
Promoting Innovation in Public Employee
Training Programs..........................................................Pg. 2
News and Views ...............................................................Pg. 3
Executive Director Eugene Monaco presents
Mary McCarthy the 2012 Distinguished
Continuing Professional Education Award of
Excellence (See News and Views)
VOLUME 29, FALL 2012
6
PDP Communiqué is produced by the
Professional Development Program,
Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public
Affairs and Policy, University at Albany,
State University of New York
Continued from page 1
As companies have come to regard the investment in
human capital as extremely important to yielding high
returns for the business, the need to have a proactive
rather than a reactive workforce has emerged. Employees
who have learned to learn and to initiate proactive
change in work processes have come to be highly valued.
These employees require a more demanding educational
approach that focuses on developing foresight, a higher
level of critical thinking, and the ability to perform
complex, ever-changing tasks.
Not only is success in the workplace increasingly
dependent upon the ability of employees to learn and be
proactive but success is also dependent upon productive
interaction between co-workers. The growing importance
of interactive skills, such as effective communication and
collaboration over distances, has made the ability to work
well with others imperative. Companies need to develop
this skill in their employees when they don’t already come
equipped to take on this higher order performance.
Therefore, the need to train workers for a range of behavior
modifications that reflect greater self-awareness, selfmonitoring, self-control, and self-motivation has become
essential. To effectively learn and apply these interpersonal
skills is paramount for success in today’s workplace. In this
weightier role, training takes on a whole new approach
that calls for a higher degree of leadership and creativity by
educational providers as they meet these new needs.
The long-established role of training that turns policy into
practice has been reversed. Training practices now lead to
practice and policy change across companies, as in the case
of Disney University in Florida or Toyota University in Los
Angeles. These corporate universities introduce—through
training—the policy and practice changes they expect to see
in the field. Employees who attend these programs become
the change agents of tomorrow.
PDP is another example of an organization that is meeting
this new expectation. Like other progressive educational
institutions, PDP has become partners with its public
organization clients and offers diverse workshops through
its Public Service Workshops Program in a number of
areas that have led practice if not actual policy change
within the public sector organization. Examples include
courses such as Obesity: Treatment across the Disciplines,
Derivative Transactions, and Medications in Addictions
5
Treatment. Each of these
courses had an impact
on policy change in their
respective fields, and those
who attended training
were provided with the
requisite knowledge and
skills they needed to effect
Eugene J. Monaco
such change. Also, PDP
began offering bullying
intervention and prevention
training, long before this
became a national discussion,
and the impact of this training has directly led to state and
local child welfare staff establishing a number of policies
to protect youth from bullying.
The way in which training now has been afforded the
right to influence policy and practice in both the corporate
and public arenas is a significant paradigm shift to which
employees, employers, and our institutions of higher
education will need to address and respond. PDP
Eugene J. Monaco
Executive Director and
Public Service Professor
MARK SCHMIDT
of work tasks. Training was mainly reactionary—resulting
from changes in work processes cascaded down from
decisions made by management.
Professional Development Program
Rockefeller College
University Administration Building
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12222
p (518) 956-7800; f (518) 956-7865
www.pdp.albany.edu
Deanna Cooper
Editor
The Changed Role of Training
James Bonville, Mary Ellen Cox,
Joan Meyer
Associate Editors
Eugene J. Monaco, Executive Director and Public Service
Professor, Professional Development Program
Ed Kirchgessner, Mark Schmidt
Photographers
As the American workplace has evolved over the past twenty years into a place
where employees both perform and learn in order to accomplish current work,
as well as the work of tomorrow, companies have transformed into learning
organizations. This change has affected both the processes and the culture of the
workplace, and is now affecting the role that training and development plays.
Catherine Reynolds
Graphic Designer
No material may be reproduced
in whole or in part from this publication
without permission.
©2012
While in the past, employees went to their jobs and performed their tasks as
directed, they now select from a menu of information and resource options as they
exchange ideas and best practices in efforts to innovate toward greater efficiencies
and outcomes. Companies no longer solely identify and direct the work tasks to
be accomplished, but rather require their employees to constantly acquire new
skills and knowledge in order to identify gaps, propose solutions, and make
decisions about how best to accomplish the solutions. Employees and employers
find themselves in different roles as companies have discovered that not only did
workplace practices and hierarchies need to change, but so too has the role that
training and development plays in the workplace.
PDP
News and Views
News and Views
Continued from page 5
Continued from page 3
PDP Annual Report
PDP’s Annual Report, which was recently submitted
to the University’s Office for Research, highlights
many of its outstanding accomplishments during the
past year. PDP has continued to focus on its core
mission of providing continuing professional education
programs and trainings, primarily for the public service
workforce in New York State. These programs have been
highly effective in assisting numerous state and local
government workers increase their job proficiencies.
Overall, PDP received 34 contract and grant awards
totaling over $39 million to conduct this work during
FY 2011-2012. PDP staff successfully offered over
3,400 instructional activities enrolling over 68,000
employees in its various programs. The majority of these
educational offerings were conducted for employees at
the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, the
NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance,
the NYS Department of Health, the Governor’s Office
of Employee Relations, and local government agencies
throughout New York State. The program areas that had
Continued on page 6
the highest enrollments were Child Care Provider Training,
Child Welfare Training, and Computer Skills Training.
PDP’s future sustainability remains strong, and it will
continue to concentrate its efforts on providing high
performance programs for the public service. We foresee an
increased interest in e-Learning, web-based programs, and
mobile technology as ways to be more innovative in meeting
the needs of today’s changing workforce. As a consequence,
we are positioning ourselves to be prepared to respond to
this changed demand for learning, while remaining true to
our core values. The complete report can be found at http://
reports.pdp.albany.edu/ PDP
Mary McCarthy Receives PDP’s
Distinguished Continuing
Professional Education Award
A Newsletter from the
Professional
Development Program,
Rockefeller College
Given annually by PDP, this award of excellence recognizes
exemplary leadership and noteworthy contributions to the field
of continuing professional education for the public workforce.
Mary has established a well-deserved reputation for her
commitment to excellence in education and training for the
public service, and as an educator who has made a difference
at the crossroads of government and higher education.
Mary’s good work has been well acknowledged. In
2010, Mary received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for
Excellence in Professional Service and the University at
Albany, President’s Award for Excellence in Professional
Service and she receives another well-deserved recognition
for her commendable accomplishments and tireless efforts
to connect policy with practice as the 2012 recipient of the
Distinguished Continuing Professional Education Award
of Excellence. PDP
As this transformation occurred, companies increasingly came to blend their
own in-house training with a variety of educational provider solutions to assist
with professional development and training of employees at all levels. Many
colleges and universities have responded and have, consequently, re-focused
and expanded their missions to provide programs for mature adults as well as to
continue their traditional undergraduate and graduate academic curricula. Many
have innovated to create separate departments that tailor the curriculum as well
as to develop new programs that meet the unique educational requirements of
business and industry. Others have led in undertaking needs assessments and
conducting environmental scanning in order to identify new workplace trends
and accompanying training needs that in turn inform the development and
design of the curriculum modifications for the adult working populations.
The logical next step in this evolution is being witnessed today—the
phenomenon of training actually leading change in the workplace rather than
merely reacting to the changes. This is a fundamental paradigm shift from
the traditional role of training. In the past, much of training was geared to
developing specific skills that would be directly applied to the accomplishment
MARK SCHMIDT
The Changed Role of Training
Continued on page 5
Mary McCarthy from the School of Social Welfare was
presented the 2012 Distinguished Continuing Professional
Education Award of Excellence by Executive Director
Eugene Monaco at the May 18th Rockefeller College Awards
Ceremony held at the Federal Court House in Albany.
Promoting Innovation in Public Employee
Training Programs..........................................................Pg. 2
News and Views ...............................................................Pg. 3
Executive Director Eugene Monaco presents
Mary McCarthy the 2012 Distinguished
Continuing Professional Education Award of
Excellence (See News and Views)
VOLUME 29, FALL 2012
6